Lifestyle and home remedies

Once you begin treatment, symptoms of hyperthyroidism should subside and you should start feeling much better. The following suggestions also may help:

Ask your doctor about supplementing your diet. If you've lost a great deal of weight or experienced muscle wasting, you may benefit from adding extra calories and protein to your diet. Your doctor or a dietitian can help you with meal planning. In most cases, you won't need to continue supplementing your diet once your hyperthyroidism is under control.

Treatment forhyperthyroidism can also eventually contribute to excessive weight gain. It is important to learn how to get as much nutrition as possible from your food without eating a lot of extra calories. In addition, eating the correct amount of sodium and calcium are important dietary considerations for people with hyperthyroidism.

Get enough calcium and vitamin D. Because hyperthyroidism may contribute to thinning bones, it's important to get enough calcium every day to help prevent osteoporosis. The Institute of Medicine recommends 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day for adults ages 19 to 50 and men ages 51 to 70. That calcium recommendation increases to 1,200 mg a day if you're a woman age 51 or older or a man age 71 or older. The Institute of Medicine also recommends 600 international units (IUs) of vitamin D a day for adults ages 19 to 70 and 800 IUs a day for adults age 71 and older. Talk to your doctor about appropriate dietary guidelines for you.

Graves' disease

If you have Graves' ophthalmopathy or dermopathy, the following suggestions may help soothe your eyes or skin:

Bahn RS, et al. Hyperthyroidism and other causes of thyrotoxicosis: Management guidelines of the American Thyroid Association and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Thyroid. 2011;21:593.

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